Like so many others, I find all the revelations of sexual harassment, sexual abuse and pedophilia coming out of Hollywood, Alabama, The White House, Congress and other places to be disturbing.  What has happened to these women and men is wrong and should not be happening to anyone, anywhere, ever.

I think the #MeToo movement has been great.  It’s given women and some men a means to speak out.  Maybe it will help them finally heal after so many years.  As a victim of child molestation myself, I healed many years ago when I was a teenager.  I don’t dwell on what happened.  To me there is no point.  I can’t change what happened to me but I can make sure it doesn’t happen to my daughter or niece.  If you dwell on something that happened in the past you’ll never move forward.

These women and men have come forward, told their stories and destructed the men who hurt them.  As long as it makes them feel better, that’s all that matters.  I’m not sure if they were planning to get anything else out of it but the abusers certainly got what they deserved.

Aside from my own experience, I admit I have been the witness to sexual harassment and did nothing about it.  Both incidents were very embarrassing to see, one especially since I knew the woman involved and considered her a friend.  When you are in a crowded room full of men and women what are you to do?  There were so many on-lookers during both of these incidents, any one of us could have said or done something.  Even the women it happened to could’ve said or done something.  The woman presenting an award who was forcibly kissed by the recipient and then had her breast groped by the recipient should’ve slapped the recipient right there in front of everyone.  It would have served him right and certainly would’ve bruised his ego. The woman who was conversing with her boyfriend when the celebrity man came up behind her and pinched her ass should have had her boyfriend punch the celebrity’s lights out.  I doubt he’d be pinching any asses after that.

I’m sure these abused individuals had their own reasons for staying silent for so long.  Whether it be from fear, threats, embarrassment, etc.  What we need to understand now is that it is not okay to remain silent.  If you were attacked on the street would you remain silent?  Why should it be any different during an audition, during a meet-and-greet, during a party?

There are laws that exist that protect people from sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination.  Right now there are numerous cases/lawsuits happening.  To read about these, as well as obtain more information on what to do in these cases, especially if they occur in the workplace, check out the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission web site at www.eeoc.gov.

You are not alone.